BERGEN GOP SAYS FERRIERO, OURY INDICTMENTS TELL A STORY OF ORGANIZED CORRUPTION SUPPORTED BY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

BERGEN COUNTY REPUBLICANS

 Robert Yudin, Chairman

 973-403-7836

HACKENSACK – Bergen County Republicans today said the federal indictments of county Democratic party chairman Joseph Ferriero and BCDO attorney Dennis Oury are the “tip of the iceberg” as far as corruption goes in Bergen County.

 “These indictments are not the end of anything, they are the beginning of what I hope will be the unraveling of a corrupt political organization that has been abusing taxpayers for too long,” said Bergen County Republican Organization Chairman Robert Yudin. 

Yudin Added: “When I ran for freeholder four years ago, I said then that corruption was at the heart of Ferriero-led Democrats, and today I was proven right.

 “I applaud Chris Christie and I hope that the investigation into Bergen County corruption goes further.  The political  organization headed by Joe Ferriero created a monster government that has swallowed up its critics and even now is still seeking to spread its tentacles and grab on to more power and  more taxpayer money. 

“The indictments are not convictions, but they are the illustration of a story of an abusive government backed by a ruthless political machine that squashed its opponents without mercy.

“Hopefully, this is the opening of a new chapter in the history of Bergen County in which we can return honesty and respect for taxpayers back to the county administration building in Hackensack.

 GOP freeholder candidate Chris Calabrese issued the following statement 

“I want to congratulate U.S. Attorney Chris Christie for doing what everyone knows needed to be done --- begin cleaning up Bergen County government. 

 “This is not the indictment of two individuals, this is an indictment of a corrupt political system that is supporting an equally corrupt government system.   

“Since Joe Ferriero became the boss of the Democrat Party, the Bergen Democrats elected a county executive and seven freeholders with the millions of campaign dollars raised by Ferriero, Mr. Ferriero repaid those donors with tens of millions of dollars in contracts paid for by the taxpayers of Bergen County.  

“That’s the cost of corruption. That’s the corruption tax that is part of  every county tax bill.  That tax is raised through  the  pay to play, no-bid contracts engineered by Mr. Ferriero and approved without question by Freeholders like David Ganz, Bernadette McPherson and Vernon Walton.” 

GOP Freeholder candidate Paul Duggan offered  the following statement.  

“Republicans, Independents and honest Democrats should be very pleased by today’s indictments. It is the beginning of a long process to take their government back from the greedy, corrupt insiders who think only of lining their pockets at the expense of hard working families who pay taxes. 

“The antidote to corruption is honesty and that’s what my running mates and I promise to bring to office: Honest government; not machine politics.  

 “Freeholders Ganz, McPherson and Walton will have a hard time explaining how and why they used their elected positions to support the corrupt organization of Joe Ferriero and Dennis Oury.”  

GOP Freeholder candidate Jeffrey Heller made the following comments:  

“The numbers have been telling the story of corruption in Bergen County for some time. The $133 million in new spending since Democrats took control of county government in 2003.  The $700 million county debt. The $125 million in new debt added just this year.  

“These numbers tell the story very vividly of a political machine with an insatiable appetitive for money to pay out to its friends and supporters. That money doled out willingly by Freeholders Ganz and McPherson, came out of the pockets of homeowners and business owners. 

“How can they justify taking votes from citizens and giving away those votes to support Joe Ferriero and his political machine?”